A strident ringing woke Angela up. She could never get used to it, but it was the best way of waking herself up every morning. She stood in her bed, still half asleep looking though her phone to see what she had missed out during the night… not much.
She got through her everyday routine, starting with a cold shower to wake herself up, then as she stood out of the bathroom, she noticed a message sent to her computer, which she opened up. It was her assistant at Numbani's General Hospital sending her a new report for a patient that had arrived this morning. What kind of mess did that person put themselves into? she wondered. She opened the complete file to find an elaborate hologram showing her the damage, mostly in the left shoulder and the arm. Nothing a simple operation wouldn't be able to fix really, plus a few days in bed should make him anew. She sent her recommandation of medication to ease the pain, stating she was on her way, then proceeded to get prepared.
Since the end of the Omnic Crisis, she had been all over the world trying to repair the damage done by the war. After all of that, she wanted to go back to Switzerland, to her original laboratory, to keep going with her experiment, only to be warned of the new prison break near Numbani. She knew she had to do something about it.
Although Winston clearly objected to her going to Numbani for a while at least, she was unstoppable when she wanted something done. Those people were in trouble, what kind of doctor, let alone hero, was she if she didn't help restore and heal the people of a city that had been under siege not so long ago?
And so here she was, in a very small apartment that, nonetheless, wasn't bad. She didn't want a big, obvious and ego-inducing place to sleep. She was mostly in the hospital anyways and she didn't need as much space as her laboratory, where she would keep all of her equipment.
Still, she had a few gadgets up her sleeve that she though of bringing in case thing became a bit too dangerous. Her caduceus staff was always next to her bed, although she had disassembled it. She knew the power of such a tool, but the danger that also came with it. The staff was a tool for the mortally wounded on the battlefield, not to cure a cold. Even so, she decided to remove the connecter and attach it to her wrist, the top of the staff that would usually create the beam was not as powerful without the rest of the staff, but it was still useful if someone needed immediate medical attention.
She glanced over her armor, her self repairing suit that she used to wear in battle. She had left her wings at her laboratory, finding no need of such a tech which once again was mostly used on the battlefield. Although they were really useful, they were really fragile and power-hungry. She resolved to using them only to come to the direct aid of those in need.
With most of her equipment away, she though she would better hide among the crowds, even though she knew her face was very recognizable. She hesitate, once at the door, to left her pistol, but chose to keep it. There were some talks about some parts of the city not being safe lately.
The walk to the hospital was short, a few streets only. The road was clear, with the new models of the OR-15 roaming though the streets, greeting everyone with friendly words. Humans and Omnics were walking on the same pavement, something that kept warming Angela's heart.
She walked past the old airport which was still under reconstruction even tough the attack had taken place two weeks ago. Large screens which displayed the news on the streets had great headlines about the return of Overwatch, the mysterious signal that had been received from the lunar colony and a current state of warning around certain parts of the city.
Angela entered Numbani's General Hospital and, in the glimpse of a moment, became Doctor Ziegler for the day. With all of her equipment and her uniform ready, she started her day at work.
As the best doctor in Numbani, she was often given many patients at the same time, with the new inclusion to her list this morning. She went to greet the young man and offered him the list of treatment and the amount of time expected for the recovery. She then went on to visit each of her patients, offering to the nurses the medication necessary and zipping though the place, she had over three dozens patients to see in eight hours, which was very demanding even for a « hero » like her.
They were time when her job was more demanding and, even dare she say it, a bit boring. Although she would never replace it with what she did in the past, everything seemed too easy at times. The idea of developing new methods of taking care of people was exciting, interesting, but here, all she had to do was to give the right treatment and medication to each and every one and let the nurses do the work, only to file some papers and documents at the end of the day.
Sometime, though, her day was lightened up though her coworker or when she would find friendly and interesting patients. She liked treating Omnic more often, since they were about healing and mechanics at the same time, a domain she still needed some help that, in the past, was easily provided by her old friend Torbjörn. She also remembered treating a little girl who couldn't stop calling her after her old codename « Mercy » which was heart melting to her. The hospital knew who she was and what she had done in the past, but she firmly objected for them to use her old persona in the workplace, since she didn't want to take any risks. Although she did once see a poster with her famous words « Heroes never die » put onto the main hall, which made her blush at first sight.
While she was examining the result of one of yesterday's operation she had to do, the interphone sounded with a nurse repeating the words : « Warning : Code Green on the first floor. »
A Code Green? It was unconventional to hear, so much that she nearly had forgotten about it's meaning : a preventive evacuation.
She excused herself to her patient, stating she would be back soon, only to go behind the counter and ask : « What is about that green alert? Is there something going on?
- I don't know much about it, the nurse answered, only that the security cameras are not working properly. Something's tampering with them.
- Tampering? » she asked, more for herself than anything else.
She decided to take a call onto the security department to see what was happening. What she heard only made her more anxious. « Someone is trying to get into the security system, we are currently looking for a way to localize that person, said the officer.
- Have they reached many cameras yet?
- They are not that interested in the cameras, they seem to be trying to… »
The phone cut, leaving Angela with a strange gut feeling that something was about to happen. « We need a code green on all floors, she told the nurse at the computer.
- Doctor Ziegler, the phones do not work anymore, I don't think we can send messages on the interphone anymore.
- Then evacuate this floor, I'll go and prevent the others too.
- But Doctor Ziegler, we do not have the permission…
- Someone is attacking our security system! This establishment isn't safe anymore. »
She went on without hearing the nurse's answer. She rushed to the elevator while the people who heard they conversation started to wake people up and slowly evacuate.
Angela got to the elevator only to find out that the lights that were showing the first and second floor were flickering, it was best not to taunt her luck, she took the stairs to the fifth floor.
As she entered the department, an electronic voice spoke out of the interphone, the ones used in emergency cases. « Warning… Code… Not a… »
She couldn't make out the words who were getting distorted. She got to the first corridor, where nurses were trying to calm down the patients. One of them, an Omnic, was doing it's best to prevent some children from panicking. « We need to evacuate, now! » she claimed firmly as the voice from the interphone spoke once more. « War… Code Black… Not a Test… »
A Code Black, instantly, the nurses started to evacuate while Angela, sure that the other floors would start to do the same after hearing about the code, went to help them. « We need to get the beds out first or they'll get in the way, stated a nurse.
- We can't get the beds, the elevator may not be safe. Take the litters instead.
- Doctor, there are too many… »
She couldn't finish her sentence, an explosion shook the hospital, along with it, a loud sound and a white wave of light went though the walls and up the celling. The lights and computer shut down, with the Omnic in the corridor falling down immediately. Some of them who were helping people move around brought them on the floor with them and the one who was trying to calm down the children fell face down, with the kids crying over the explosion.
It was only then that the gunfire started.
At first, they were distant, happening under their feet, but they were distinct, with horrible screams to follow them up. Then, the main entrance was kicked open and with it came the sounds of automatic riffles. Angela jumped down, bringing the nurse with her, then crawled behind the counter, pulling out her gun. « We need to take the emergency exit, now! She said.
The nurse nodded, shaking and barely able to stand on her knees. Shots were fired, and Angela readied her blaster. « When I say go, run to the exit, understood? »
She didn't have the time to answer, something pushed Angela against the wall. She couldn't make out what it was, but a sensation of being chocked forced her to put her hand on her neck.
A figure started materializing in front of her, holding her by the neck. A young women who she had never seen before, brown skinned with half of her head shaved only to show cybernetic enhancements all over her skull. She smiled at her. « There you are, we've been looking for you… »